Super Bowl draws huge numbers in Canada, too

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 13, 2016, 7:11 AM EDT

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The United States isn’t the only country where the Super Bowl is a huge television draw.

According to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, 18 million Canadians watched at least part of Super Bowl 50. That represents 52 percent of the Canadian population — the same percentage of Americans who watched at least part of Super Bowl 50. Last year, Super Bowl XIL was actually watched by a slightly higher percentage of the Canadian population than of the American population.

Twice as many Canadians watched the Super Bowl as watched the Grey Cup, the championship game for the Canadian Football League.

The experiment with the Bills playing one game a season in Toronto failed, but that’s not a reflection of the level of interest in the NFL in Canada. Football is big north of the border, too.

46 responses to “Super Bowl draws huge numbers in Canada, too”

There is a quite common argument between Canadian Football League purists and fans with Canadian NFL fans that the NFL game is too slow and too boring while the CFL is faster and more exciting. I think the tv ratings say something different that the NFL has the superior atheletes on display and is the king of televised sports in Canada and US. Though there is one thing I would import from Canadian rules into the NFL to improve the American game. It would be making the end zones 20 yards deep to make it easier to throw into the end zone when a team is in the red zone.

ReligionIsForIdiots says:
Feb 13, 2016 7:58 AM
Toronto is a world class city. Why exactly would the people there pay $300 a ticket to watch a Chan Gailey coached Bills team?

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London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.

So 18 million Canadians watching at least part of this year’s superbowl means the same thing as here, they found it boring too. Only this year, with a great degree of justification based on the poor quality of play by both quarterbacks, they say struggling players will be sent to the NFL when they are cut from their CFL teams.

rugolin says:
Feb 13, 2016 7:27 AM
There is a quite common argument between Canadian Football League purists and fans with Canadian NFL fans that the NFL game is too slow and too boring while the CFL is faster and more exciting. I think the tv ratings say something different that the NFL has the superior atheletes on display and is the king of televised sports in Canada and US. Though there is one thing I would import from Canadian rules into the NFL to improve the American game. It would be making the end zones 20 yards deep to make it easier to throw into the end zone when a team is in the red zone.

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The CFL had some glory years, but it has not been popular in the Toronto area for a very long time.

The Bills aren’t popular either. If they won 2 of those 4 Super Bowls in the 90’s maybe they would be popular enough to draw real fans to 2 games a year, but they aren’t. Toronto fans are fans that are either die hard fans of the steelers, patriots, 49ers, Cowboys or dolphins depending on the era they grew up, or they are just overall NFL fans. In any case, most Toronto fans didn’t grow up playing the sport and don’t know it very well and need to learn the fan etiquette better (like not wearing a Steelers jersey to Bills-Seahawks game or cheering wildly when the home offense is on the field).

I think Toronto can support a team, but not at the dome. Has to be a new stadium and the league would have to be patient while fandom builds. You don’t just stop being a Cowboys fan when you have been one your whole life.

London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.
————

It’s not $300 a ticket in a crappy stadium on astroturf for the worst seat in the house.

Toronto is a world class city LOL………more like the worst sports city in North America. They would put a football team in Panama before Toronto. All you saw at the Rodgers Center was a bunch of stiffs in business suits. Who the heck goes to a game dressed up. Toronto is a joke.

London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.
—-
The fundamental problem was that Rogers priced the tickets at SPECIAL EVENT pricing, like what they charge when big name English Premier League soccer teams come for a friendly. Not all the tickets were 300-500. Those were the good seats. But it was 180 up in the cheap seats. This was also back when the dollars were around even. Toronto fans aren’t stupid. They know the pricing was three times what the Bills fans paid at home, and they didn’t bite.

Add in the other problems: Rogers Centre has lousy lines for football, Bills were weak and dull at the time, matchups were unattractive, most Toronto fans aren’t Bills fans, but are split all over the league — failure was inevitable.

Toronto will eventually get a team, but it won’t be until 1) an NFL calibre stadium is built – and 100% with private funds 2) a suitable owner steps forward. Toronto sports teams are owned by sports/broadcasting conglomerates, with very deep pockets — but that wont fit NFL rules about single owners.

The sad thing about the broadcast itself was that Canadian broadcast regulations require that the US signals be blocked, so Canadian stations can pit in their own ads.

Im not one of those people who get all excited about Super Bowl ads — ads are ads. But they are at least new. In Canada, the ads are the same old stuff that have been on all year. And worse, half of them are HOUSE ADS, for other shows on the network. They couldn’t sell paying ads on the SUPER BOWL? Maybe they need more or better salespeople.

Canadians watch the NFL because they like to see the game played at its highest level, unlike the minor-league CFL where every second play is a fumble or INT. They watch the Super Bowl because they hope that one of the Canadian advertisers will run their parent company’s U.S. Super Bowl commercial because the government makes it impossible for us to see the US broadcast. Instead we usually get local ads for alarm systems or basement repair.

The Bills in Toronto was a major failure but not because of Canadian interest. The ticket prices were absurd. Why pay hundreds when I can drive two hours to Buffalo and pay at most $60 bucks for a great seat? The NFL powers that be need to realize the Toronto series was a colossal screw up. What we need are MORE NFL games up here from coast to coast.

London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.
*****************************************************
You’ve been unmasked as a CFL/Argo’s loving fan who is scared crapless by an NFL Toronto team.

London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.
————

It’s not $300 a ticket in a crappy stadium on astroturf for the worst seat in the house.

But continue to spew drivel.
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Interesting, I attended the Bills vs Dolphins at the Rogers Centre. I was sitting on the 200 level and tickets were no where near $300. You’ve confirmed the excuses I mentioned earlier – crappy stadium, astroturf and the price of tickets (which were incorrect). The excuses never stop. I will be happy to continue to provide facts.

I’m a fan of both leagues, both have their merits. The cfl game is faster and generally higher scoring. The nfl does have higher calibre players overall, but the cfl can’t compete with the dollars needed to sign big name guys.

The reason those bills games didn’t do as well as they thought is simple. Tickets priced way too high for an average joe to be able to take his family to. 4 tickets,parking,food, drink etc would cost in the neighborhood of $1500 for crap seats! Does that seem worth it to you?

Also, most of us here in southern Ontario have the opportunity to drive to buffalo, Pittsburg , Detroit, Cleveland, or a number of other cities and see games for a fraction of that cost, and that includes travel and hotels! The London games sell because they have one shot, once a season to see a game.

London watches the Jacksonville Jaguars and sells
80,000 tickets in a couple of days. Toronto needs
to paper the house in a “world class city”. The list
of excuses of why the Bills in Toronto series was a disaster, is long. Somehow though, none of these excuses seem to be a problem in London. I don’t want a team in London, but Toronto sure looked weak with the Bills experiment.
*****************************************************
You’ve been unmasked as a CFL/Argo’s loving fan who is scared crapless by an NFL Toronto team.

That’s who you are.

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Yes Joe, you are right. Lets just ignore my annual trips to New Jersey to watch the New York Football Giants and my attendance at Super Bowls (how many have you attended?)
It appears your description of me is as strong as your prediction of the Buffalo Bills ending up in Toronto. Do the terms ” sure thing”, “it’s a lock”,
“4th biggest market in North America” mean anything to you? Yes Joe, an NFL team in Toronto. Not the last 40 years, but now, with the northern peso for currency, it is another “sure thing”. I noticed you didn’t connect the Toronto/London facts. Tough to defend, isn’t it?

The Bills in Toronto failed for many reasons and it had nothing to do with lack of awareness. The NFL doesn’t allow corporate ownership so when a team does come here the ticket prices won’t be wayyyyy overpriced just to watch a crappy product on the field.

Hardcore Bills fans (NFL fans in general) from Canada prefer to travel to Buffalo, Detroit, New Jersey, Seattle, etc. where the atmosphere is so much more fun than an overpriced game where the tailgating laws are ridiculous (these will change when an NFL team comes here). I would much rather get chirped by Bills fans all afternoon then go to a game with casual fans from 30 teams in Toronto.

It isn’t a matter of if, but when, regarding a team in Toronto. And Toronto deserves it and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Just look at the crowds from the Blue Jays playoff games and the Raptors playoff games lately. That’s proof alone that an NFL team would succeed here.

The CFL is a dying breed in a lot of major cities in Toronto. It’s a pretty good product on the field but the NFL is simply better. People in places like Saskatchewan are hardcore CFL fans because that’s all they have there.

I just spent two months in Toronto during football season. Those people couldn’t give two F’s about American football (and even less about college ball). Most bars that did advertise Sunday ticket couldn’t even get all the games. And one I went to didn’t televise all the games because others in the bar had requested soccer and even rugby. I did, finally, find one of the greatest sports bars I’ve ever been in just steps from the Air Canada Centre (Raptors/Leafs). Still . . . it seems like an exercise in futility to try and force the NFL on the Canucks.

There is a great NFL fan base in Canada and as much as the NFL (Americans in general) think it is not about the Bills. It is about the NFL in general. I have been a diehard Steelers fan for over 35 years. Travel to one Steelers game a year to see a different part of the great USA. I love hearing about how Steelers fans “travel so well”. They might. But I just think we just ARE everywhere, including outside the USA.

As for Canada as a market – the NFL would be stupid not to have a franchise north of the border. To put it in perspective – Canada has a population roughly the size of California and a pretty rabid sports appetite. Seems like a good market to me, eh?

I’d like to point out that NFL fans in London would have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see an NFL game if not for the London game, while NFL fans in Toronto simply need to drive down the QEW. It’s not the only reason Toronto failed, but it does show why people in London are more willing to pay the high prices. Trans-Atlantic flights aren’t cheap!

The NFL is VERY popular in Canada but we’re also more fickle. It would need time to grow in Toronto, like the Raptors were given, and I’m not sure the NFL would be willing to wait.

If any city outside the US deserves an NFL team it is Toronto. Canada and America have similar cultures, they love the NFL, and they have already proven loyalty by taking care of their NBA team the Raptors with one of the loudest NBA stadiums.

snnyjcbs says:
Feb 13, 2016 11:19 AM
Fact is that the Super Bowl has shown a marked decline in viewership over the past 3 years with this years SB the lowest watched of the past 3 years. This years SB was like watching paint dry.

________________
Last year’s superbowl between Seattle and New England was the most watched ever.

Decline in viewership is not the problem, the problem is the meddling with rules that turns people off (thanks Goodell) and the lack of interest when there is no majorly prolific team in the big game. That is why Superbowl 50 was a bust.

It isn’t a matter of if, but when, regarding a team in Toronto. And Toronto deserves it and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Just look at the crowds from the Blue Jays playoff games and the Raptors playoff games lately. That’s proof alone that an NFL team would succeed here.

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It sure is a matter of if. What has changed that makes Toronto a more attractive location than it was 40 years ago? It has always been one of the largest populated areas in North America.
Just who is this mystery owner that will need to spend BILLIONS while the Canadian currency is so low.
You mention Blue Jay and Raptors playoff games as proof the NFL will succeed. That isn’t the proof you need. Try looking at the Blue Jay attendance in non playoff years and I don’t think you will be quite as excited. Blue Jay attendance was horrible for 20 years until the magic season 0f 2015. Are you assuming the Toronto team will make the playoffs every year?

I think that either Toronto or Mexico City are much more viable locations for an NFL team than Los Angeles or London although I think that in either case an expansion team rather than relocation of an existing franchise would be best. Both are located close enough to the border for easy travel although I think that Mexico City would have the more avid fan base at least immediately.

London is ridiculous because of the travel logistics and the fact that NFL Europe was an abject failure. Los Angeles is viewed by the league (and mistakenly by the Davis family) as a ‘gold mine’ despite the fact that 3 team have previously failed there and wound up moving.

No Toronto team in the 80’s. No Toronto team in the 90’s. No Toronto team in the first 15 years of the 2000’s. But somehow, Toronto has now been discovered as a large city in North America.
Wow, you guys can’t be serious. If the NFL really wanted Toronto, what exactly have they been waiting for, a sunny day? There is no question Canada loves the NFL. I’m from Canada and love the NFL. However, there is a huge difference between enjoying the game and getting a franchise.
Football is not supported at any level in Toronto, but promises the NFL they will show up. Just give us a team. A Canadian franchise is LESS likely now than it has ever been. If you follow the business aspect of the game, you would know that is a fact. Billions of dollars and the Canadian peso sure doesn’t seem to be a good mix.

It isn’t a matter of if, but when, regarding a team in Toronto. And Toronto deserves it and you’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Just look at the crowds from the Blue Jays playoff games and the Raptors playoff games lately. That’s proof alone that an NFL team would succeed here.

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It sure is a matter of if. What has changed that makes Toronto a more attractive location than it was 40 years ago? It has always been one of the largest populated areas in North America.
Just who is this mystery owner that will need to spend BILLIONS while the Canadian currency is so low.
You mention Blue Jay and Raptors playoff games as proof the NFL will succeed. That isn’t the proof you need. Try looking at the Blue Jay attendance in non playoff years and I don’t think you will be quite as excited. Blue Jay attendance was horrible for 20 years until the magic season 0f 2015. Are you assuming the Toronto team will make the playoffs every year?

*

Yeah. 20 years of not making the post-season will do that. Who wants to pay a lot of money to watch a crappy product? Try looking at baseball attendance numbers in general before making asinine points. An NFL team would get a lot of fans. If they suck for a long time then yeah, the fans will stop attending.

I’m not even going to discuss how Toronto has changed in the last 40 years. That is one of the dumber comments I’ve heard on this site. I’m not going into detail because you have already proven you’re an idiot, so I’m not going to waste my time.

They’re are a ton of potential owners in this world with enough money to buy a team and Toronto is a desirable spot. Stupid comment.

Toronto is getting an NFL team. When it will happen I am unsure of. But it will happen.

The NFL already has a horrific team in Canada — the Bills… Outside of 2 seasons they have been irrelevant since 1996 just like the Argonauts…. Their fan base is solid however nobody REALLY wants to play in that frozen waste land…. So why put in effort to have “another” team up there… Waste of time and money

Yeah. 20 years of not making the post-season will do that. Who wants to pay a lot of money to watch a crappy product? Try looking at baseball attendance numbers in general before making asinine points. An NFL team would get a lot of fans. If they suck for a long time then yeah, the fans will stop attending.

I’m not even going to discuss how Toronto has changed in the last 40 years. That is one of the dumber comments I’ve heard on this site. I’m not going into detail because you have already proven you’re an idiot, so I’m not going to waste my time.

They’re are a ton of potential owners in this world with enough money to buy a team and Toronto is a desirable spot. Stupid comment.

Toronto is getting an NFL team. When it will happen I am unsure of. But it will happen.

Deal with it.

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Being a dolphins fan, I can see why you can relate to not making the playoffs. Quite the impressive response regarding how Toronto has changed over the past 40 years. You dig deep and go with the “idiot”, “dumber comments” and “waste my time” response. Let me help you a bit. Was Toronto a big city back then? Leafs have been in Toronto for 100 years. The Blue Jays since the mid 70’s. The Raptors since the mid 90’s. The Argonauts since 1873. But not a sniff of the NFL. I see I impressed you with another stupid comment re potential owners. Your right I guess, they must just be waiting in the weeds and will appear one day. These owners are just figuring out now that Toronto is a desirable city? Just spend a few minutes with a calcualtor and do the math. It appears I have history and facts on my side while the best responses you have are insults. Loved your response re the Blue Jay attendance. I see the Bills in Toronto excuses have now merged with the Blue Jay excuses. Always an excuse in Toronto. Not suprising though considering the pathetic performance of most of it’s franchises.
When was the last “major” championship. Oh yeah, MC Hammer was performing one of his classics.

The CFL is More accessible than ever with the Watch ESPN app. I urge people to watch a few games this summer. The CFL is a lot of fun. I am surely the biggest Tigercats fan in New Mexico and I went to the Grey Cup in Vancouver in 2014 and had a blast! And if I were an NFL team with Qb issues I’d give Ticats QB Zach Collaros a look in camp.

The CFL is More accessible than ever with the Watch ESPN app. I urge people to watch a few games this summer. The CFL is a lot of fun. I am surely the biggest Tigercats fan in New Mexico and I went to the Grey Cup in Vancouver in 2014 and had a blast! And if I were an NFL team with Qb issues I’d give Ticats QB Zach Collaros a look in camp.

I love how the CFL always gtes trashed here for the talent level…and yet college football is huge in the US. The worst CFL team could easily beat the best college football team, these are professional athletes still.

Its funny the NBA and MLB have no problem succeeding and thriving in Toronto. Its the typical NFL arrogance. The NFL as a product is a joke compared to the NBA and MLB. Its all the brainwashed marketing drivel from the NFL and a lot of stupid people in this country.

Ratings dont equate to a good product. Just becuz alot of people watch doesn’t mean the product is worth watching. I turned this joke of a game off when they didnt call the Carolina play a catch.

Cam Newton releases first pic of newborn son (not so incidentally named “Chosen”) on Instagram this week bracketed with his MVP Trophy and Offensive Player of the Year Trophy! The baby was merely a prop!!!
“It’s all about me, baby!”)

People can bash Toronto all they want but Rogers & Bon Jovi were willing to invest a billion US$ on an NFL team in Toronto, this is just a fact. While NFL football has only a casual following for the most here, a new tradition can be developed with 12 million people in Southern Ontario (google it). NFL is the ultimate marketing machine & they would succeed.

Then you ask why NFL hasn’t moved in over the last 30+ years? How long have they taken to put a team back in LA? It’s not a simple process…in Toronto the territory rights to the Bills & the politics of CFL protectionism has kept the NFL at arm’s length over many many years.

Bottomline, will NFL finally move in? The odds are against it with crazy $$’s involved, the CDN$ currency and the need for a new stadium. Never say never though, there are billionaires willing to invest if given the opportunity.

As a Bills fan for 35+ years, I am happy and thankful to Kim & Terry Pegula. They will do wonderful things for the Buffalo Bills where they belong.